International Students

Young Volunteer of The Year - Manningham Civic Awards 2023

Our international student Berry EAIN was awarded the 2023 Manningham Civic Awards-Young Volunteer of the Year! Berry is committed to making a difference and is determined to bridge the gap between local and international students within her school and also the wider community. She is an incredible role model to her peers and is an advocate for student voice. 

Berry also received a congratulatory letter from Keith Wolahan the local Member of Parliament (MP) - Member for Menzies. Here is his letter:

Dear Berry,

I am writing to congratulate you on receiving the Young Volunteer of the Year as part of this year's Civic Awards. Your services within our community have been exemplary. The dedication and time you have shown to bridge the gap between local and international students is to be congratulated. Time is our most precious asset and your generosity with your time is what I admire most. Your commitment to volunteering and to making our community better is inspirational. For this, I thank and commend you. I wish you luck with all your future endeavours.

So well done to our Berry and well done to our school! 

Fantastic presentation at International Student Voice Forum 2023

At the end of Term 3, our student representatives attended the International Student Voice Forum and delivered a fantastic presentation. They successfully showcased the activities that promoted multiculturalism within the DSC community. Their presentation clearly demonstrated how these activities brought local students, international students, teachers and the school leadership team together to celebrate our diversified culture and to listen to the student’s voice and act on it. 

Well done to the forum team! We should all be very proud of their achievements! 

Group Reflection below: 

Throughout the whole event, we as a team gained lots of priceless experiences and skills that are undeniably worthy. When organising the Your Culture, Our Culture art competition, we improved communication and organization skills when school assignments and art competition duties clashed. We learnt to be grateful and patient when we finally got our sponsorship from Zart Art after many rejections from other companies. We gained lots of public speaking experience and confidence when we delivered a speech in front of all school staff as well as hosting the buddy program activities.

We learned that working as a group brings us together. All of us went out of our way during every lunchtime and recess to keep adjusting, editing, and improving the events. and that’s what makes both event successful not just raised the awareness of cultural diversity, but also brought both local and international students together. 

Mooncake Festival Celebration 2023

Mooncake Festival 2023 was on Monday, September 25. The International Student Team took the initiative to buy mooncakes and share them with all international students. Each one of them received an individual packed mooncake and they all felt well-supported and valued by our school. We also shared some mooncakes with the DSC community. 

Please find the students’ appreciation below. 

I am aware that the Chinese people traditionally celebrate the mid-autumn festival, often known as the moon festival or the festival of mooncakes. Similar holidays are celebrated in Vietnam, Korea, Japan, and other East and Southeast Asian nations. 

A fantastic mooncake with red bean paste inside was given to me. Even though the mooncake was packed with red bean paste and was sweet and delicious, when I first received it, I assumed it would taste like a grain cake. 

I felt a connection to the mid-autumn festival after getting the mooncake, which encouraged me to enjoy the festival with my friends.

--Giorgio H

I received a salted egg yolk mooncake from Miss Huang, it was delicious, especially the yolk. The mooncake was really good, the sweet soft inside complemented the salty egg yolk very well, and for the icing on the cake, it also has a crunchy exterior. After receiving the mooncake, I felt really grateful and happy, because I heard that international students from other schools don’t receive the same treatment as this school. 

--Kyle T

The mooncake festival is a time of reunion, our school gave out mooncakes to international students and I got a lotus seed paste with egg yolk, it tasted amazing and I loved it. I feel that the school puts a lot of effort into making international students feel looked after, and I personally feel really warmed by the school’s actions. Thanks to the school and every teacher who puts effort into making us feel this way.

--Ruisen L

To celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ms. Huang gifted me a delectable white lotus paste mooncake. Back in Cambodia, my family and I also have a tradition of celebrating this festival every year. I initially thought I wouldn't be able to continue this since I am now away from my family. But Ms. Huang surprised me by giving me a mooncake which happened to be one of my favourite flavours. I had been missing mooncakes greatly! I'm hoping that next year I'll be able to try another flavour!

--Elly T

Ambassador for International Student Voice Forum 2023

International student, Venus FUNG, was the ambassador for International Student Voice Forum 2023. As part of the Student Ambassador’s Panel, she sat down with other ambassadors for a Q & A session. 

Please find her reflection below: 

Sitting together with other ambassadors for a Q&A session was truly an exciting and empowering experience. It provided me a unique opportunity to connect with fellow ambassadors who shared similar roles and responsibilities. I felt a sense of unity and camaraderie as we exchanged ideas, discussed challenges, and collectively worked towards addressing the concerns of international students. 

As an ambassador, my vision is to create an inclusive and supportive environment for international students at our school. I aim to ensure that their voices are heard and that they feel welcome and supported throughout their time here.

To keep the International Student Voice strong, our team will implement a few strategies in term 4 this year. We will start select local students for international student buddy program 2024 and we will plan more sessions which include cultural exchanges, workshops, and social events that encourage interaction and understanding among students from different backgrounds. We will also continue the Art Competition for next year and our team will put down more details in term 4 this year. We are also thinking about organizing a "busking" event for both students and teachers if everything goes well. 

--Venus FUNG

Continuous Growth of the Reading Program

Our reading program is very helpful in supporting our international students who need to improve their English skills. It is a warm, positive, and inclusive learning environment for them to join. Our team provides lots of books for them to read and have fun during the reading process. 

As we welcome new students to join us for this term, our reading program is more vibrant and lively than ever. Different books are used to cater to their individual reading needs. For example, we use non-fiction books to introduce famous sites of Sydney including the Opera House and Harbour Bridge, to Bondi Beach and then to the Blue Mountains. We also use fiction picture books to learn new words, sentence structures, and grammar. In picture books, there are lots of rhyming words and repetitive words that are easy to remember and understand. Our reading program has proven to be enjoyable for our international students.

Knowledge about historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, Oskar Schindler, Mahatma Gandhi is also read about in one of our books. Students discovered people who have risked their lives to save others, explored new areas and discovered lifesaving medicines. All these real-life examples have inspired our international students to persevere and persist when faced with challenges in future learning. Our international students have built upon their vocabulary during the reading program. New words such as terrorist, collapse, paramedic, and invade were learnt.

Our international team is generous to provide our recess, lunchtime, and afterschool to involve students in the reading program. This is a long-term task, and our aim is to cultivate their love of reading wherever they are, whenever they are. Now, most of them are more confident when reading. Their pronunciation is also more accurate since attending our reading program. 

Although we know a long full of challenges way to go, try your best international students, we are sure your learning journey at DSC will help you achieve what you want! 

Ning Hong

International Student Program Assistant

Cyber Safety seminar for Chinese international students

Recently I attended a meeting run by the International Education Division. I was briefed that there’s a spike in scams threatening Chinese students. it’s confirmed that some Chinese international students from other schools have been the victims of this crime. As prevention is the best medicine, the international team organized a Cyber safety Seminar at the international student learning hub. The seminar was conducted in Chinese to make sure all participants understand the content. 

All Chinese international students attended this seminar and learnt to take the following steps if they have been approached: 

■ Don't be pressured by a threatening caller asking you to prove you have not been involved in a crime. Hang up and don't respond.

■  If someone tells you that you are being investigated, speak to your ISC immediately and contact the local police in Australia.

■ Don't engage with the caller and do not follow their instructions. If you do, they will escalate their intimidation tactics and attempt to get your money.

■  Never leave your camera on because someone has instructed you to.

■  If you are concerned for your safety, contact the police immediately by calling 000.

Newest member for International Student Forum team

The International Student Forum Team at DSC has welcomed its newest member, Karl NG. Karl is from Hong Kong and is a Year 10 student. On a daily basis, he comes to the International Student Learning Hub where he witnesses the preparation of activities of other members of the international student forum team and how they bring local and international students together. 

Below is his reflection:

I decided to join the international student forum team because I wanted to broaden my horizons of different cultures while helping new international students adapt to our school environment. I am excited to contribute different views and ideas to the activities, helping other team members with connecting the cultural elements.

- Karl Ng

Sally Huang

International Student Program Director